Marinated Chicken Kabobs: Marinating Tips

A marinade can make or break a meal, adding fantastic flavor or overpowering the meal. However, marinades are an important tool in any cooks arsenal, and they’re not difficult to master. These Marinated Chicken Kabobs are a prime example of how a simple marinade can add a burst of unexpected flavor, and we’ve rounded up some tips to get you going on your next marinade.

1. Set the timer

Grab the meat, throw it in the bag, and leave it alone–it seems easy enough, but you have to remember that different meats and veggies are texturally different. What will make red meat sing will quickly overpower fish or even poultry.

Here’s a handy reference:

Fish and Seafood : 15 min to 1 hour

Poultry: ½ hour to 3 hours

Vegetables: ½ hour

Red meat: Overnight

2. Be safe

That’s raw meat you’re sloshing around in there. That means, never, ever reuse a marinade for separate dishes, and marinate in the fridge, not the counter. You can brush on leftover marinade while cooking for an extra burst of flavor, but stop well before pull-out time so anything harmful you’re brushing on has time to cook off. Really, really want to use it as a sauce or an extra boost? Boil the leftover marinade for a good three to five minutes to kill off any bad bugs.

3. Stay away from metal

Your big stainless steel bowl may seem perfect for marinating tomorrow’s steaks, but steer clear: marinades are all about chemical reactions. Most marinades include some acidic ingredient, and when left alone, it can react with the metal. Not only does this make your meat taste funky, but can be bad for you. Stick with the handy gallon Zip-Loc bag, or a ceramic or glass container covered in plastic wrap.

Directions:

STIR chicken, ½ container Sabra® Roasted Garlic or Onion Greek Style Veggie Dip and turmeric together in a small mixing bowl. Refrigerate for at least ½ hour allowing the veggie dip to tenderize and flavor the chicken.

PREHEAT broiler or grill.

ASSEMBLE kebabs, alternating pepper, onion and chicken on the skewers.

GRILL on charcoal grill outside or under the broiler indoors. Cook 10-15 minutes or until juice runs clear from the chicken.

I was named after a recipe for Coriander Chicken, in the Silver Palate, specifically. Maybe that’s where I got my appetite, for new media, PR, art/design and exploring. And food, though irony of irony, not a fan of cilantro.

Follow Corianda on Twitter: http://twitter.com/corianda
On the web at http://www.namedforafood.com/

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